William and Mary period  walnut armchair -  oak Queen Anne period country chair - Walnut Queen Anne period corner chair

An oak armchair of c.1680. Note that the stretchers also exhibit twist turning as well as all the uprights. The back carving is well executed with the top rail and front stretcher showing two cherubs supporting a coronet  ‘boyes and crownes’. These chairs, taken singly, are still somewhat undervalued although sets are a specialist demand and command high prices. The back and seat were probably caned originally.
Three more late seventeenth century country chairs - c.1690 in oak, showing the variations possible in the back. The squab seats have been added for comfort. It is interesting not only to see the similarity of leg and
stretcher construction but the variations possible in the turning of them.
Price Range: Single $30  $40 Pair $70  $90
Value points: Quality of execution and carving of back
Late seventeenth century  William and Mary period  walnut armchair, c.1695. Curved and moulded stretchers. Note the bulb turning and ‘bun’ feet  to be seen on other pieces of the period such as side tables and chest
stands. The wool or hair upholstery is covered with velvet with bullion braiding. Note also the curvature of the arms to balance the stretchers.
Price Range: $120  $150 for this quality. Chairs of this period tend to be uncommon and wide variations occur depending on condition and quality.
Value points: Walnut
Balancing of design of arms and stretchers  Quality of turning
William and Mary period walnut chair c.1700 with cane back. A marked development in design from the previous example. The high cane back and square section joining of the back legs has been retained but the new form of leg  the cabriole — has appeared, introduced to England by foreign workmen. The cabrioles in this example finish in hoof or pied-de-biche feet. This is an early form of Continental influence. The transition between the high backed cane chairs of the seventeenth century and the finely carved cabrioles of the eighteenth century is to be seen. The Victorians were fond of making hall chairs of this type but usually lost proportion in legs and stretchers.
An oak Queen Anne period country chair, c.1710. The back splat is of the shape typically associated with the period. The termination of the uprights is very interesting because the line has been carried into the top rail
and over to a pointed termination where the splat joins it. The front rail is rather heavy, but shaped, and the cabriole legs are gently curved, ending in simple pad feet. The rather rigid back legs and lack of rake
emphasize the country origin. The solid seat has a typical shallow moulding around it, probably originally fitted to retain a squab cushion.
A superb walnut armchair of about 1720 raised on high quality cabriole legs decorated on the knee with criss cross carving and small tassels, the ends terminating in ball and claw feet. The back is of unusual shape but the solid splat of walnut veneered on oak is found on less good examples. The shepherd’s crook arms are well proportioned. The thick rim round the drop-in seat is typical of the period, as is the shell motif repeated on the cresting rail. A side view would show the pronounced rake of this top quality chair.
Price Range: $500  $700
Queen Anne period walnut chair c.1710 of early design. The now famous splat shape is evident but the high back is retained, although a curve in the rake of the back has emerged - the spoon back. There is a shaped
and moulded stretcher but in this case the cabriole legs terminate in simple pad feet. The height of the back and the square section of the back legs are retained from the previous century. An interesting feature
peculiar to Q. A. workmanship is the slightly raised planed moulding at the bottom of the frame just under the seat, rather like cockbeading. cabriole-leg side tables and chest stands of the period sometimes
exhibit the same feature.
Walnut Queen Anne period corner chair with inlaid diamond pattern in boxwood. Turned stretchers and uprights. Typically shaped splats in figured walnut. Drop-in seat. cabriole legs ending in pad feet; note the shell motif carved on the front cabriole, a  factor of quality. This chair is possibly of country origin.
Price Range: $100 - $150. Generally a man’s taste.
Value points: Quality of execution, i.e. proportion, grace of cabrioles, shell motifs etc.
All legs cabrioles  (sometimes the back and side legs are left straight or turned, detracting from value).
A Queen Anne period country walnut chair, c.1710, which was originally rush-seated. The front legs are cabrioles and the turned stretchers between the legs have square joints. The presence of stretchers tends to
distract somewhat from the line of the cabrioles and is generally assumed to be a feature of the chairs of the earlier part of the period. The back legs and uprights are also turned, a feature frequently found on chairs of
this period. The plain back splat is curved and the rush seat was of the drop-in type. The cabriole legs end in pad feet and the design and execution of the chair is of good quality for country furniture. Instead of fitting shoulder pieces at the sides of the cabriole knees, the flat facets are covered with
round knobs, glued on.
Price Range: Pair $80 - $110 Four $250 - $400 Six $500 - $700
Value points: Quality of cabriole and back
Note the cabrioles on this example are slightly bandy and knee (top) is too heavy for the foot.

Antique English CHAIRS, QUEEN ANNE
About 1700-1730
A highly distinctive style, actually extending well beyond Queen Anne’s reign.
Backs of antique queen Anne chairs have a curving outline, with elongated S-scrolls flowing into dipped top rail. Broad vase-shaped splats, after about 1710 slotting into a’shoe’ (p. 59). Cabriole legs and drop-in seats. All these are classic features.
Early, taller, ‘beaded back’ versions were curved in section to fit the sitter’s back. Seat rails were shallow, cabriole legs slender and ending in hoof or pad feet. They had simple turned stretchers with one additional stretcher at the back.
Later versions had lower backs, sometimes broader and occasionally rounder seats, with deeper, often shaped, rails, no stretchers and bolder, squatter cabrioles, sometimes ending in claw-and-ball feet. Strengthening ‘ears’ or ’shoulder pieces’ were added either side of the knee. Legs could be decorated with fine C-scrolls and/or scallop shells carved on the knee. The back uprights were flat-fronted, a feature which subsequently became standard on chairs of most types.
Armchairs had their arms set back several inches from the front rail  they were no longer continuous with the front legs. Some had distinctive ’shepherd’s crook’ arms.
A few chairs had upholstered seats and backs, with no gap between them. These could be tall, with straight sides and top, or lower and ’spoon- backed’.
Early-18thC walnutchair with cabriole legs, rounded seat and stretchers.
Queen Anne armchair with distinctive shepherd’s crook arms..
Spindly Victorian reproductions.
Later Queen Anne chair with square seat and without stretchers.
Walnut. Very occasionally mahogany around d 1730. From this date onwards beech was used for the frames of upholstered seats. Because it is very susceptible to woodworm, these have often been replaced. Frequent re-upholstery may also hasten their demise.
During this period methods evolved which set the standards for virtually all chairs made until the present day. (For details, see CHIPPENDALE, P. 56).
One feature relating specifically to chairs of this period was the veneering of flat surfaces: the splat, the front faces of the uprights, and the facings of the seat rails.
Restrained carving on knees, popularly a scallop shell (on the best pieces ‘hipped’ into the seat rail), but could be foliage, cartouches, or husks. Sometimes a single ornament present in centre of front seat rail. Limited decoration
mostly small scrolls  began to appear on the back towards 1730.
Some very grand pieces were decorated with silver or gilt gesso (museum pieces today). A few had marquetry decoration on veneered surfaces.
Top quality later versions with all the best features have the highest values. Pairs may be about three times the value of a single; a set would be exceptional. Armchairs too are rare, and very expensive.
Victorian (and later) craftsmen loved to reproduce Queen Anne chairs, but often in mahogany  generally an instant giveaway  and too thin in the legs. The backs were often too high and the seat rails too shallow. They tend to look rather mean, reflecting the economic use of timber. Construction of the seat frame (p. 68) should indicate its origin.